Google plans to introduce gambling applications with real-money options on Android devices in India.

Google is ready to allow more real money games to be published on the Play Store for Android users. This means people get more options/apps to earn real money, which has been a limited space for Google until now. The company will bring these changes to many countries including India from June 2024.

Real Money Games (RMG) are making a lot of money in other countries and looking at the projected online gaming and gaming market in India, Google clearly feels the need to enter the market, especially in this gaming industry.

The RMG section contains daily fantasy sports (DFS) and rummy apps for Indian users. Google says that once the pilot is complete on June 30 of this year, users will begin to see them available in the Play Store, where they can install the app and play qualifying games on their phones.

“After that time, developers will be able to distribute RMG apps to Google Play users in India, in addition to DFS and Rummy, subject to local laws and our updated policy,” as mentioned in this Android blog post. While Android users might be happy to hear that Google is changing its mind on the RMG segment, developers are closely watching how the company plans to charge them app fees.

As you may know, Google charges 15-30 percent to app developers, but this decision may not make sense for these gaming apps, especially in India, where the country’s government already taxes them.

Google understands the different nature of this market and is talking about developing better templates for developers. “We are also evolving our RMG service fee model to match the value that Google Play provides. We are working closely with developers to ensure that our new approach reflects the unique economics of this industry and the different revenue models for developers,” as stated in the blog post.

The company has always strictly enforced applications and practices in accordance with local laws. It needs to be clearer about its strategy in the country, which may or may not see several changes in the coming months.